The Effects of Web-Based Training: A Study Examining Knowledge Acquisition, Teacher Attitude and Skill Integration

Not Available A technique is proposed for reducing the Noise Figure of a wideband fiber optic link by using an external intensity modulator incorporated within a microwave resonant cavity. The proposed innovation is expected to lead to a decrease in passive system Noise Figure by 10-20 dB and is applicable to modulation from low or moderate FR frequency to frequency in excess of 100 GHz. The modulator can be completely passive, thereby requiring no electrical power. In optical communication links, it is important to minimize the system noise floor and maximize the dynamic range. One of the key parameters for improved performance is VO, the voltage required to produce O radians phase shift in the modulator. This proposal addresses methods to reduce this VO value by using lithium niobate electro-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometers to demonstrate feasibility. However, the technique may also be used with modulators constructed out of other electro-optic materials, such as polymers. The program will develop a compact, low mass intensity modulates system ideal for space-based phased array systems.